7 Tips to Make Your Data Visualization More Impactful

Choose the Best Chart

There are many charts available that can represent your data. However, before you choose a chart, you need to be clear about your website goals and what you want the data to communicate to your audience. Make sure that the chart you choose displays all your data in a clear way to see and comprehend. You may want to forgo the tired pie chart and try something a bit more contemporary such as a stacked bar chart. Do not use 3D graphics for a pie chart as they are counterproductive and can distort the data.

Simplicity is Key

Once you have chosen your chart, you then need to visualize your data. The best way for your data to get full comprehension in chart form is to make the chart as simple as you can. Therefore, you should remove anything extraneous in your chart that does not support your data’s message. For example, you can remove excess gridlines that can distract the audience from the data. You want the audience to focus on the information in your chart and not be bothered by anything that is not crucial. You can even customize your legends that align better with your chart theme.

Order Data

When you add your data in a specific order, it improves the overall comprehension for your audience. This makes a seemingly random set of data more organized with both logic and consistency. You can order this data in any way that you see fit or in a way that makes the most sense. You can arrange this data in many ways including alphabetically, by value, or sequentially, as long as it improves comprehension. 

Include A Zero Baseline in Your Charts

To avoid errors with data interpretation, make sure you have a zero baseline for your charts. A truncated axis can distort the viewer’s visual comparison and exaggerate the differences in your chart. One exception to this rule is if you are using line charts. With line charts, a truncated axis may be best to emphasize the differences between the lines. 

Highlight Vital Information with Color

Color is a great way to make important data stand out in your website design. You can use the same colors for the main data itself while using accented colors to emphasize your point. These contrasting colors will pull the viewer’s attention to this specific data and help them focus on the focal message of the chart.

Pick An Appropriate Color Palette

The best option for the efficiency of your data chart is to choose an appropriate color palette. While using contrasting colors may seem like the best choice, it may distract the viewer from your focal point. Instead, you should choose different shades of the same color. You can use the darker shades to highlight the important data and lighter shades of the color for data that is less important.

Revise, Edit, and Experiment

All charts have some limits on how they convey data. With some experimenting and tweaking, you can create a greatly comprehensible chart. Study how other web designers are presenting their charts, and use those examples to revise your own data charts.